NBC show will send someone into space

NEW YORK — NBC says it will air a competition show with an out-of-this-world prize: a ride into space.

The network said today that TV producer Mark Burnett is teaming with Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic on “Space Race,” a game where the winner will get a ride on Virgin’s aircraft atop the Earth’s atmosphere.

Virgin has been testing its rocket-powered space vehicle with the goal of taking paid customers into space. Virgin said the plan is for Branson and his children to be the first civilians to take a ride sometime next year.